In the past years I have been on continuous learning paths in vegetarianism, nutrition, cookery, organic living, financial freedom, environmentalism and Buddhism.
There were so much that I have been taught and experienced.
As a good will to pass on the teachings of my great teachers, I set up this blog to share their wisdom and knowledge or to at least raise awareness of holistic wellness :)

Saturday, April 2, 2016

The reason somehow lies in
the genes shaped by tradition and
the imbalance nutrients intake in modern days;
not the fault of a vegetarian meal.

Latest research* reveals that some
70% South Asians/Indians,
53% Africans,
29% East Asians and
17% Europeans
have evolved to bear an "improved" version of gene FADS2 that has increased efficiency in synthesizing long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) which is a group of important metabolites in our body.

The high percentages among
South Asians and Africans,
are possibly due to
selective pressure induced by LCPUFA-deficient diet (eg vegetarian diet),
consistently across many generations,
from evolutionary biology perspective.

In other words,
according to scientists,
the improved FADS2 is to compensate the inaccessibility of food source LCPUFA among population which traditionally adopt vegetarian diet.

In modern living,
where omega 6 (a precursor of LCPUFA) is seriously overdosed as ubiquitously found in all cooking oils,
FADS2 produces huge amount of Long Chain Omega 6,
which is pro-inflammatory,
posing high risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancers and other chronic illness.

For any individual with the "improved" FADS2 (more likely among Indians and Africans, be them vegetarian or not),
the risk is even higher.